MUMBAI: Zee Media Corporation Ltd's (ZMCL) board of directors has approved the appointment of Amitabh Kumar as an additional director in the category of non-executive non-independent director with effect from 26 March 2020 until the conclusion of the ensuing annual general meeting of the company to be held in the calendar year 2020.

Kumar's appointment has been done on the basis of recommendations of the nomination and remuneration committee, confirming that he is not debarred from holding the office of director pursuant to any SEBI order or any other authority, the company said in a stock-exchange filing. 

Kumar is a technology leader in the media and telecom industry. He is an Electronics Engineering Graduate (Gold Medalist) from BITS Pilani. He also holds PG Diploma in Telecommunications Management from TEMIC Canada and Certification in Electronics Data Interchange from DEAKIN University, Australia.

He has served as director operations in VSNL from 1995 to 2001 and was also acting chairman and managing director in year 1998- 99, where he had a key role in setting up India's first internet services. He has also served on the board of governors of Intelsat and was council member of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization {CTO). 

He has been the president -technology in the Zee Network from 2001 till 2004, being responsible for global broadcast operations spanning to 150 channels and in Dish TV India from 2004 till 2013, where he played a major role in setting up operations for India's first DTH operator.